Seeing New Investment Fund

Thamurrurr Kakadu Plum

Thamurrurr Kakadu Plum

Indigenous people in Australia traditionally supply Kakadu Plum to companies that extract compounds for cosmetic manufacturers. Under current arrangements, these Indigenous suppliers remain anonymous and receive only a small portion of the profit. Thamarrurr Plums, an Aboriginal-owned supplier of wild-harvested Kakadu Plum, is changing this dynamic. With a board composed of Indigenous women from clan groups across the Thamarrurr region (surrounding the remote community of Wadeye), Thamarrurr Plums consistently delivers high-quality products to the wholesale market, providing seasonal employment for over 100 Indigenous harvesters.

Thamarrurr Development Corporation have partnered with Rare Pharm (Australia), a supplier of cosmetic ingredients. This joint venture will enable Thamarrurr Plums to produce Kakadu Plum extracts in the Northern Territory using Rare Pharm’s intellectual property. Rare Pharm has invested in developing suitable technology for this project, ensuring that the extraction process is simple and requires relatively inexpensive equipment.

Seeding New Investment funding from RDA NT and the NT Government has supported the development of business and operational plans to progress this project. The initiative empowers Indigenous women from the Thamarrurr region to produce and brand their extracts, participate in marketing activities, and share profits at the point of sale to the cosmetics industry. The initial phase will produce extracts at a scale sufficient for industry samples and design a facility for commercial-scale production in the NT. These samples will facilitate pre-orders, potentially funding the commercial-scale facility.

This project will enhance capacity and industry knowledge, supporting broader growth plans for the bush products industry in the Thamarrurr region. Additionally, there is potential for further collaboration between Thamarrurr Plums and Rare Pharm to bring other botanicals suitable for skincare or beauty ingestibles to market.

Previous Recipients

Maningrida Wild Foods

Maningrida Wild Foods

Maningrida Wild Foods is Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporations bush foods brand. The Enterprise has now been running for five years selling wild-harvested native foods (such as Kakadu Plums) and processed products (such as spice mix) that have been sourced by Aboriginal...

Yuendumu Women’s Centre Development

Yuendumu Women’s Centre Development

The Yuendumu Women's Centre is a community-based organisation located in Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 kilometers northwest of Alice Springs. It was established to provide support, resources, and services specifically tailored to the needs of women and...

Walangeri Motel Expansion

Walangeri Motel Expansion

Walangeri Ngumpinku, the current owner and operator of the 8-room Walangeri Motel in Yarralin, is seeking to expand its accommodation facilities to meet the growing demand from guests, service providers, and tourists. The existing motel, featuring 8 rooms with King...

Remote Community Recycling Hubs

Remote Community Recycling Hubs

This projects core objective is to facilitate the implementation of circular economy principles within remote indigenous communities. Its primary focus is to foster local indigenous enterprise and employment opportunities while effectively diverting waste from...

Top End Shelf-Stable Foods

Top End Shelf-Stable Foods

The Top End Shelf-Stable Foods project aims to establish food manufacturing capabilities in the Northern Territory, enhancing ongoing research by Charles Darwin University into food processing and value-adding innovations for local agricultural and seafood produce....

Pine Creek Geotrail

Pine Creek Geotrail

The Pine Creek Geotrail Project is centered around the existing Miners Park in the township of Pine Creek, 220 km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway. The park was created in 1988 by a group of mining enthusiasts with help from heritage buffs and historians as a...

Ranger Base Redevelopment

Ranger Base Redevelopment

The Mimal Land Management area, located at the geographic center of Arnhem Land and approximately 250km east of Katherine, spans nearly as large an area as Kakadu National Park. The main communities and homelands within this area include Bulman, Weemol, and Barrapunta...

Hermannsburg Potters Expansion

Hermannsburg Potters Expansion

The Hermannsburg Potters are a dedicated group of Western Arrarnta artists creating vibrant handmade ceramic pots that encompass collective and individually lived histories in their distinct Country. The Hermannsburg Potters Aboriginal Corporation submitted a strong...

Rodna Cultural Tours

Rodna Cultural Tours

The Rodna Cultural Tours, situated west of Hermannsburg and north along the Finke River, secured funding in Round 2 of the Seeding New Investment fund to develop a comprehensive business plan. This strategic initiative aims to establish cultural tours on country, with...

Baniyala-Art-Studio

Baniyala-Art-Studio

Bäniyala is a Yolŋu homeland of approximately 150 situated on Blue Mud Bay in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Bäniyala Garrangali Aboriginal Corporation secured funding in Round 1 of the Seeding Fund to design a remote art studio to enhance their ability to craft...

Bird Watching Infrastructure Development

Bird Watching Infrastructure Development

The Victoria Daly Regional Council submitted a strong application to Round 1 for funding to progress investment in bird watching infrastructure and visitor amenities to support the growth of tourism in the region. Council’s vision is to develop infrastructure,...